The 49ers secondary struggled against the elite passing combination of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown. As those processes continue, there are games to be played and won, and this season is beginning with promise. “We stop the run and prevent the big play”. “They’ll use us both, I’m pretty sure”.
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Running Backs- DeAngelo Williams once again filled in nicely for Le’Veon Bell and in the process staked his claim for more touches once Bell returns next week.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) celebrates with teammates on the sidelines after rushing for his third touchdown of the game during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, September 20, 2015.
Brown scored the Steelers’ sixth and final touchdown, on a 7-yard reception with 7:43 remaining.
“Ryan (Shazier) actually told me, ‘We are going to lock onto you, ‘ ” Hyde said.
Tomsula said pass coverage issues will be acknowledged and cleaned up. “They do a wonderful job of creating”. Those moments, combined with the 49ers gaining as many as 15 yards on only two of their 82 offensive plays pointed to the defense being consistently combative, another key component to being a proper complement. San Francisco did not score a touchdown until early in the fourth quarter and most of Kaepernick’s stats were accumulated late in the fourth quarter. Roethlisberger connected with Antonio Brown nine times, for 195 yards and one touchdown. We take a look at one example of miscommunication.
“We were outplayed”, Tomsula said Monday. In the end they put 42 points on the scoreboard to go with 453 total yards.
Even the best afternoon of his brief professional life came with a couple of nicks.
Frustrated by an inability to finish drives with touchdowns against the Patriots, the Steelers decided to end them with exclamation points while ruining the homecoming of Pittsburgh native Jim Tomsula, in his first season as 49ers coach.
While it’s still early on the season, it may be time to ask if the Steelers offense is the best there is in football right now. They looked smart in Week 1 and on Sunday maybe not so smart. “But we don’t play for moral victories”. Roethlisberger said. He might not throw for tons of yards, but he will manage the offense effectively and provide a spark to the entire team. Dropped passes by Vernon Davis and Bruce Miller along with a Carlos Hyde turnover didn’t help San Francisco’s cause, and the team never recovered from a 29-3 halftime deficit.
But don’t get bogged down in those specific numbers or what they typically have come to mean about a defensive unit’s performance, because this is not a typical Steelers defense, nor does it have a typical role to play in the overall success of the team.
It will be a process for San Francisco heading forward. On the day, Kaepernick completed 33 of his 46 pass attempts for 335 yards and two touchdowns. I know what the Steelers are about.
The 49ers front seven is still a dominant unit against the run, but on passing plays, the 49ers were unable to get pressure on Roethlisberger and finished the game with zero sacks.
ROAD TO NOWHERE: San Francisco had the ball for almost 37 minutes and put together drives of 18, 17 and 15 plays.
The 49ers (1-1) simply could not keep pace with the Steelers’ quick-strike, highly productive show.
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“You can’t settle for field goals in that situation”, Kaepernick said.
